Raising Funds, Raising Awareness

August 26, 2014

The goal of any nonprofit is to raise funds in order to achieve its mission – whatever that may be. In a competitive market place, remaining visible in the eyes of your audience, and making them aware of your mission, can be challenging. There are plenty of ways you can raise funds for your nonprofit, as well as awareness of your mission and goals.

Get Creative

Before you begin a campaign or fund drive, it is best to plan out what you are going to do – and how you will achieve your goals. Brainstorming is an excellent way to tap into everyone’s imagination and experience – the goal is to gather as many different ideas as possible, then sort through them to determine which one works best.

Another step that some groups skip is deciding on a theme – a unifying message that appears in every stage of your fund raiser. Remember that creativity can definitely be a useful tool in this process, but the theme has to be relatable to your audience. If you have to take too much time explaining the theme and its meanings, then it is probably not the right fit.

Hit the Streets

Now that you have decided what your campaign is going to say – you have to decide how you are going to reach your audience. Today’s technology provides plenty of low cost, and in some cases, free ways for nonprofits to push their message out to their audience. Even better, you can track how well the campaign is going.

Here are a few methods to consider:
• Letters and postcards are reliable and time tested – everyone has a mailbox, not everyone has an email address! Today’s technology, combined with the expertise of the team at Three Dog, can help you pinpoint specific zip codes and neighborhoods. In addition, you can receive notification of when the letter or postcard will reach a specific audience. This allows you to follow up with other forms of communication.

• You can send out an email to your audience, alerting them to be on the lookout for your physical mailing – and include additional information and requests for support.

• Social media – from Twitter to Facebook to Instagram – is also free and impactful. You can integrate these services into your overall campaign, and use them as a way to let your audience know that a giving campaign is under way.

• Surveys are a great way to engage your audience while spreading the word about your nonprofit. After the letters and postcards have been delivered, you can send out a survey to determine the success of your campaign, and learn how to alter the next campaign so it has even more impact! There are plenty of free tools – Survey Monkey is one of the more well-known – that are easy to use.

Wrap It Up

Raising funds for your nonprofit requires a significant amount of time, coordination, and dedication. Remember to draw on the imagination, creativity, and experience of your team, great ideas can come from the most unexpected places. Planning out your campaign, and matching your message to the right forms of communication, takes more time but in the long run the results are worth it.

If you are looking for help with postcard and letter campaigns – or do not know where to start – get in touch with Three Dog, we will be happy to help! Call us at (410) 284-5494 or email info@threedoglogistics.com.